Hogan: I Wanted To Be Heel At Wrestlemania VI

Hesitantly turning heel and forming the nWo faction with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall at WCW's Bash At The Beach on July 7, 1996, Hulk Hogan was in no hurry to leave behind the red and yellow colours for which he had been known since the mid-'80s. In his memoir, WCW boss Eric Bischoff even recalled that he had to meet with Hulk several times before he agreed to make the switch from babyface hero to pro wrestling's number one bad guy.

Speaking during his recent interview in Issue 91 of Fighting Spirit Magazine, it's therefore surprising to hear "The Hulkster" claim he proposed a turn to the wrestling dark side six years before that. Entrenched in an all-babyface feud with The Ultimate Warrior, Hogan states that he wanted to turn heel on his foe in the build towards their historic title vs. title clash at Wrestlemania VI.

"Vince and I were best friends, but when we talked about money, we were enemies", said Hogan. "So I went [to WCW] with the red and yellow, beat Ric Flair, and Hulkamania took off again. Then, creatively, I turned into a bad guy, which I always wanted to do in the WWF, but nobody wanted me to. I always said, 'I could be the best bad guy ever. Just let me do it', but no-one wanted me to be a bad guy.

"At Warrior's time, I really wanted to fuck him as a bad guy; I wanted to beat The Ultimate Warrior in Toronto, but as a heel. I just thought it would be intense, and I would be the best bad guy ever. I could have done it, and then said, 'Forget the prayers and the vitamins, I did it for the money!' But it's just creative differences, and Vince knows what he's doing, believe me. I just wanted to try something different in the WWF."

Read the second part of this incredible interview, the most honest and open of Hogan's lengthy career, in Issue 91 of FSM, on sale on Thursday, March 21 from WH Smiths and Easons in the UK and Ireland. Both individual issues and money-saving subscriptions are also available from www.FightingSpiritMagazine.co.uk.